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United Way will get its own nest

By Alana Melanson, amelanson@sentinelandenterprise.com

Updated:
05/04/2013 06:31:15 AM EDT

SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / JOHN LOVE
The United Way of North Central Massachusetts will soon move to 649 John Fitch Highway. Trying to fix some of the lights at the new building is John Powell of Cushion Electric. Inc.

FITCHBURG -- The United Way of North Central Massachusetts will bid adieu to its home in Unitil Corp.'s John Fitch Highway office later this spring when it moves to its own building just down the street.

According to United Way President Phil Grzewinski, the organization has purchased a building at 649 John Fitch Highway, the former showroom for Dufours RV Center, located across the street.

"There's a new chapter coming for us, but not an unfamiliar one in the history of this United Way," Grzewinski said Friday afternoon.

The organization, which began as the Fitchburg United Fund on Myrtle Avenue, later moved to 915 South St. in 1979.

SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / JOHN LOVE
Tim Baker, of United Wall Systems in New Ipswich, N.H., constructs a door at the United Way's new home at 649 John Fitch Highway.

When the United Way needed a bigger space nine years ago, Unitil opened its doors and housed the organization, as well as its sister group, the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts, rent-free ever since.

This arrangement has been a great benefit to the community by saving the organization about $500,000 in occupancy expenses that it was able to put into services instead, Grzewinski said.

About a year ago, Unitil determined that major renovations were needed in its building, Grzewinski said, which necessitated the move. He said it made more sense financially to purchase a building than to rent, and the space available is being built out in a way that will properly serve both nonprofits.

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"There's space for our guests and our staff to park, and it will enhance our ability to do more community trainings, which are important, especially for our community-investment division and our volunteer center," Grzewinski said.

The United Way put about $360,000 saved from proceeds and interest from the South Street building sale toward the just over $700,000 cost of the new building and work being performed on it. Donors have been assisting with the rest, he said, so the move does not impact annual operating expenses and community services.

Unitil Corp. needs major renovations at its building on John Fitch Highway in Fitchburg. Bill White, who does public relations for the utility, points out a crack in the building.

His goal is to also replace the reserve funds to cover future occupancy, utility and maintenance costs.

Bill White, who does public relations for United Way and Unitil, said build-out at the new, approximately 6,000-square-foot office space is expected to be complete within the next few weeks. He said the United Way and Community Foundation should be able to move in at the end of May or in early June, earlier than the end-of-June deadline to vacate the Unitil building.

Unitil spokesman Alec O'Meara said the renovation and construction work at the John Fitch Highway office is in its early phases, with a tentative timeline to begin in 2014. He said the building, which Unitil has occupied since 1981, has some known structural issues, such as cracks forming in several concrete walls.

White said the building, which the utility leased before purchasing, was built on a former landfill site. The unstable ground has caused the building to sink, he said.

"The building is sorely in need of repair, and it's time to address those repairs," O'Meara said.

Survey work and engineering will begin this summer to determine what options the utility has, he said. One option that has been discussed is to demolish a portion of the building while a new one is built and then knock down the remaining half, but there is no firm plan in place yet and cost estimates have not been obtained, O'Meara said.

Without knowing the full cost of the project, he said it would be difficult to speculate whether or how it would impact ratepayers. Ultimately, O'Meara said, whether capital project costs impact rates is determined by the state Department of Public Utilities.

"It doesn't happen automatically," he said. "If something like that were to occur, there would be a lengthy regulatory process to look into that to ensure any costs associated with construction were allocated prudently."

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